Welcome!
Welcome to my website! This site has served several purposes over the years. At this season in my ministry, I'm using it as a clearinghouse for the content I produce as a pastor. Here you will be able to find a brief biography (below), as well as recordings of my sermons, my video lessons, and the theology blog I've been writing since seminary.
About Me
I am the senior minister at Turner Christian Church in Turner, Oregon. With the elders and staff there, I lead a congregation of passionate believers who want to serve the Kingdom of Heaven. Before Turner, I served as the youth pastor at Enterprise Christian Church in Wallowa County, Oregon. My understanding of the Gospel has been shaped in learning how to minister to good people of this church and these groups. It's also been formed by the input of my brilliant wife, Casey Holmes, and, more recently, becoming a father to my son James.
I got my BA in Government and Philosophy at Eastern Washington University, and my MA in Bible and Theology from Sioux Falls Seminary. I grew up in non-denominational, Reformed-influenced churches until I went to seminary, where I learned to appreciate the Baptist tradition. However, I found my true home when God called me to Enterprise Christian Church and I joined the Restorationist Movement, where I learned to let the Bible speak for itself and to take its words seriously. I am passionate about teaching people to encounter the Bible on its own terms, rather than through denominational lenses. I am passionate about the unity of the Church, which is a command from Christ. I am passionate about teaching people that we are saved for a reason: God has a use for us, a purpose that we are meant to live out once we have been saved. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. My major theological influences are N.T. Wright, John H Walton, C.S. Lewis, Tim Mackie, Jon Foreman, Philip Thompson, and David Bruce. |